Anything For You
by goldgirlbomb
Summary: Mamoru is working a case about the AID, trying to take down the organization for good. But then an unexpected event drags his girlfriend Grace into it. How will the slacker detective and his girlfriend solve the case?
1. Chapter 1

"Is this it?" Mamoru asked, kicking the door closed behind him. He grunted as he adjusted the big box he was currently carrying in his arms, wondering what in the world his girlfriend had stuffed inside that would make it quite this heavy. He looked up at Grace, who was unpacking the last box he'd brought inside.

"Yeah, that's it." She replied with a smile, watching him place the box delicately on top of the other boxes that littered the apartment floor. The two had been dating for almost a year at that point, and Mamoru finally had asked her to move in with him. It made more sense, since she spent most of her time there anyway. But the excitement she felt for finally moving in with her boyfriend was apparent, practically glowing while she put some of her things away. Mamoru grinned and walked up behind her, grabbing her around the waist and placing his chin on her shoulder, placing a tender kiss against the side of her neck. Grace giggled and leaned back against him, wrapping her arms around his.

"Think you'll get tired of having me around?" She asked teasingly.

He chuckled. "Probably. You can be a pain in the ass sometimes kid." Grace frowned, she released her hold on him and turned. She slapped at his arm playfully, causing him to chuckle once again, an obvious grin spreading across his face. Huffing her frustration at him exaggeratedly, she turned back and returned to unpacking some of her belongings. She didn't have all that much, only bringing a few large boxes with her, but all of the things she'd brought were precious to her. She'd sold some of the stuff back at her old place, furniture, things of that nature. But the things with her now were her most precious things, besides the obvious things that she just needed, like her clothing. Old photo albums, some special gifts Mamoru had given her, letters her parents had sent to her before they'd passed away. Things she couldn't seperate from. Mamoru watched her with amusement for a moment before pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and taking one out. He leaned up against the wall next to where Grace was unpacking and lit the cigarette up, taking a generous puff before blowing it in her direction teasingly.

"You're such a jerk sometimes." Grace said, waving the smoke from her face.

"But you love me."

She rolled her eyes. "For some reason. But don't get used to having those things for too long. You promised me you would try to quit. Or at the very least cut back on them."

"I'm already cutting back on them sweetheart. Count your blessings."

Glancing over at him, she saw that signature smirk of his and couldn't help but laugh at him. "Shouldn't you be at the station? I thought you had some big case you were working on?"

Mamoru flicked the tip of the cigarette into the cigarette tray on the counter and shrugged. "I am. I took this morning off so I could help you bring the rest of your stuff over here."

"What is this big case of yours anyway? You haven't really told me much about it."

"Because I'm not going to."

She laughed. "Oh come on! Why not?"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow at her. "Because I know you, and you're going to want to stick your big nose in it and try to help."

"What's wrong with me trying to help?"

"You know the answer to that Grace. You're the civilian, and _I'm_ the detective. Kids shoud mind their own business."

Grace sighed, temporarily letting the kid comment pass. "Alright fine I won't help. But come on, at least tell me what you're up to lately. You're hardly ever at the penthouse anymore with the guys, it must be something good."

Mamoru flicked the tip of the cigarette in the tray again. "And if I decide not to tell you?"

She smiled innocently at him. "Then I'll just bug the crap out of you until you do. Or I'll stick my nose into anyway, which you really wouldn't want."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Why is it that you're so interested in what I do as a detective anyway?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she turned and leaned up against the wall next to him. "I don't know. I just find it kind of fascinating. Makes me wish I could go solve crimes and beat up the bad guys."

A hand landed on her head, ruffling it gently. "Not a chance kid. Just leave the bad guys and such to me. Besides, I thought you liked what you did?"

Grace glared at him. "Who honestly likes being a maid? I mean it's ok, but it's just not all that exciting."

"Then quit. Find something you do like doing."

"Like being a detective or a PI or something like that?" She asked excitedly.

Mamoru laughed. "Except that."

Grace pouted, but leaned in closer towards him. "Fine. I'll start looking for another job, something I actually enjoy doing. But in the meantime, you have to tell me about your case now. Come on, please?"

"Fine. But only because I don't want you pestering me about it later. You remember the AID?"

"Of course I do. How could you ever forget about a group as crazy as them?"

A chuckled rumbled through Mamoru's chest. "Very true. Well, they've gotten some new leader after we arrested their old one. He's been doing some nasty dealings on the side with some rather unscrupulous characters, so I'm just trying to find out more about it. I know he's got some papers hidden inside the compound that would likely send him to prison, and half of the organization for that matter, for a long time. I'm just trying to find out how to get back in there and get them."

Grace nodded thoughtfully. "Do we need to infiltrate the compound again?"

"What's this 'we' business? I told you, no meddling whatsoever. You hear me? These guys are a lot more dangerous than they were when we last dealt with them. They've gotten more on the level of Soryu and his men. Besides, they already know who we are, and if you can recall, they don't exactly like us that much."

"That's true."

"Alright now, I've told you about it, so don't even think about meddling in it. Got it?"

"I got it."

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at her. "Promise me."

Grace laughed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I promise. I won't but in unless you ask me to."

Another puff of smoke drifted in her direction. "I can assure you that, that won't happen. But anyway, I don't even have to be back at the station until two this afternoon. I'd like to just kick back and not even think about the case until then if you don't mind."

Grace shook her head and walked over to him, taking the cigarette from his mouth with a seductive smile. "It is two Mamo."

Mamoru looked over at the clock on the wall to confirm her statement. Seeing she was correct, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He walked over to the couch and grabbed his coat, draped over the top, and walked back towards her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he hauled her up against him until her feet left the floor, and she slung her arms around his neck. He was much taller than she was, but with him holding her up like this, she was able to be eye-to-eye with him. With a seductive grin of his own, he pressed a kiss to her lips tenderly, savoring the taste of her lips. She couldn't help but to smile against his lips, still so incandescently happy to be with him like this, even after all this time.

"I'll be back later tonight." He said quietly to her when he finally pulled back from their kiss.

"Okay. Eiuske helped me get the day off, so I'll be here unpacking the rest of this."

Mamoru pressed another kiss against her lips, sending a wave of heat down her body. She'd discovered in their time together that this man certainly knew how to use his mouth, both in and out of the bedroom. He always seemed to be able to create this fire deep within her belly, without even realizing it half the time. She often wondered if he knew he had this power over her, using it to his advantage whenever he needed to. Often times he would treat her like such a child, teasing and laughing at her in such a way that would sometimes drive her absolutely insane. It sometimes took her a lot of effort to not throw something at him in frustration, his calm and carefree attitude almost infuriating. But then there were other times, when they were alone, when he would show her how much of a woman he really saw her to be. It took almost all of her strength to pull back from his intoxicating lips and grin at him.

"If you keep dawdling around here, you really will earn you Slacker Detective status." She said to him, almost a little too breathlessly. He smirked at her, his eyes looking a little disappointed for having to leave, and lowered her back down to the floor. Stealing one last kiss from her, he headed to the door, waving at her over his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Mamoru meandered into the station, heading over to his desk. He tossed his jacket onto his chair and lowered himself into it. He'd taken his sweet time getting into work, and it was now well past 2:45 in the afternoon. Not that he particularly cared since the station was mostly empty at this point anyway. One of his collegues was having a birthday party, so most of the other people in the station had cleared out to attend. Not being particularly close to the person having the birthday, Mamoru didn't feel the need to go. He had other things he needed to do anyway. Taking a cigarette out of his pocket, he lit it up and blew the smoke above him while he stared up at the ceiling, momentarily lost in thought.

Until he could find a way to get back in the AID compound, most of the papers on his desk just served as busy work. He sighed in frustration as he swept through the papers. The AID had gotten into some even shadier business since their previous leader had been sent to prison. It was almost common knowledge now that they were involved in all sorts of criminal activity, although it had been harder to find than it had been with the previous leader. AID's new leader was much more careful in his dealings, covered his tracks much better. Thanks to Soryu, Mamoru knew that they were involved with some of Soryu's rival gangs, however, without any solid evidence, it was near impossible to prove it. The only thing that could prove their undoing would be all of the documents that he knew they kept inside the compound for their records. But without a search warrant from a judge, he wouldn't be able to touch them. He'd tried to come up with a plan for the past few weeks on how to infiltrate the compound once again to retrieve their reports, however he was coming up short.

He thought back to his conversation with Grace earlier, causing the corners of his mouth to kick up in a small grin. She always had been an inquisitive creature, suffering from eternal curiosity. She was always wanting to help him with his cases, and would often drive him crazy trying to get him to tell her about them. And he usually would, solely for the reason that she usually could seem to snoop out some detail he'd seemed to overlook. She really would make a good PI, not that he'd ever tell her that. If anyone knew how dangerous this particular field was, it was him. And he wanted to keep her as far from it as he could.

Mamoru leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms back, groaning as he felt some of the tension leaving his shoulders. It had been a stressful few weeks, and he was just ready to get this whole thing over with. Making a quick sweep with his eyes around the empty station, he leaned forward towards his desk drawer. Opening it up, he pulled a small picture frame from the bottom and held it in front of himself. The beautiful, smiling woman in the picture frame beamed up at him in such a way that he couldn't help but smile. Just seeing her smiling face always seemed to put him at ease. He kept a picture of her there at the station with him whenever he needed some comfort, although he would never in a million years tell her that. He usually kept it hidden down in his bottom drawer whenever there were a lot of people there, but when the station was as quiet as it was now, he'd find himself pulling it out. He placed it up on his desk, letting it lean back against his computer monitor. He looked at it for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the papers and reports scattered on his desk. Distantly he thought of organizing his desk a little better, but decided against it, and just simply tossed them onto Kaoru's desk across from him. Kaoru was another detective in Mamoru's department, and had been working there almost as long as he had. Out of all of the people that he worked with, Kaoru was the only one that he could tolerate, and actually considered him to be one of his closest friends. He blew another cloud of smoke out and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, closing his eyes to think.

"Slacking as usual I see." A voice came from behind him. Without so much as moving or even opening his eyes, Mamoru grinned.

"What you call slacking Kaoru, I call 'lost in thought'."

Kaoru laughed. "Lost in thought my ass... Now what do we have here?" Mamoru opened one eye to see Kaoru grabbing the picture frame he'd left out on the desk, and quickly leapt forward the grab it away. But Kaoru proved to be quicker. He chuckled as he held it out of Mamoru's reach, looking at the picture.

Kaoru nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "Is this Grace?"

Mamoru looked away, rubbing his neck. "Yeah."

"Wow! She's beautiful! Definitely a keeper I'd say." Kaoru said as he continued to smile down at the picture.

Mamoru grumbled something incoherent under his breath before snatching the picture away. "Give me that."

Kaoru chuckled, watching Mamoru tuck the picture away in his desk drawer. "So when am I finally going to meet this Grace?"

Mamoru glared up at him, flicking the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray on his desk. "When you learn to behave your damned-self."

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad! You keep her secret around here enough as it is." Kaoru said, walking around to his desk opposite Mamoru's, eyeing the pile of paperwork that now littered his own desk.

Mamoru flipped through some of the remaining papers on his desk, deciding to try to begin working. "I do not keep her secret."

"Oh come on yes you do! I've known you for years and I haven't even met her yet! And you've been dating her for a good while now!"

Mamoru grinned, blowing a puff of smoke in Kaoru's direction. "I have my reasons."

"You afraid she'll take one look at me and just decide to run away with me?" Kaoru asked, exaggeratingly flipping his long brown hair while batting his eyelashes. Kaoru always did know how to make Mamoru laugh, even if he did look like a complete idiot doing it.

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming. And no, that's not why. I'd just rather not have to deal with you drooling all over her like some sort of tom-cat in heat." Kaoru threw his head back and laughed. Kaoru did have quite the reputation with the ladies, and it was no secret that he was always on the prowl. As much as Mamoru did trust him, he wasn't sure he'd ever trust him enough to let him be around Grace. He knew Grace would snap up his womanizing act in seconds, as she'd dealt with Baba plenty enough, but it was an ordeal he'd just as soon avoid.

"So what did you find during your stake out?" Kaoru asked, quickly changing over to his work mode. A few weeks ago, Mamoru had set up a stake out outside of the AID compound perimeter. His intention was to find a way to once again infiltrate the compound, but they had taken extra precautions to keep intruders out. Electric fences, security cameras, guard dogs, the works. He'd paid special attention to the members schedules, as they had changed drastically since he and Grace had been there. He also had paid attention to the truck deliveries that were constantly going in and out of the compound. Tossing some pictures he'd taken of the packages being unloaded over to Kaoru, he explained everything he'd seen and learned.

Kaoru nodded thougtfully again. "Seems like it'll be even tougher getting in now than it was before. They're sealed up tight."

"Unfortunately. But I'll think of something."

Kaoru tossed the pictures back onto Mamoru's desk. "What about the security cameras? Do you think they saw you snooping around?"

Mamoru shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I doubt it. I kept a safe distance away, so even if they did catch something on their cameras, there's no way that they could make out my face. They had cameras, but they didn't exactly look like they were anything high tech."

"I'd still be careful if I were you Mamo. They seem to be a much tighter ship now."

Mamoru waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. Anyway, I got a tip from one of my sources the other day about one of the particular deliveries that goes in and out of the compound on a regular basis. Hopefully that'll actually lead me somewhere. But don't worry so much, I'll be fine."

Kaoru scoffed. "You sure are cocky for a lazy detective like yourself."

Throwing over a smart-alecky grin at him, Mamoru took another drag from his cigarette. "Well I think Grace would agree that there's at least one thing I'm certainly not lazy at."

"And what's that?"

He shrugged and flicked the butt of his cigarette in Kaoru's direction. "I'll never kiss and tell."


	3. Chapter 3

A few days later, Grace was sitting in the living room with her laptop in her lap. She'd taken off an extra few days to settle into the apartment with Mamoru, so she had some extra time on her hands while he was at work. With her cup of tea sitting delicately on the coffee table in front of her, she tapped away on the keyboard trying to dig up whatever information she could find about the AID. It was proving to be quite the difficult task, and was now beginning to see why Mamoru was also having such a hard time with it. All of AID's information was sealed up tight, only their website page remained, and a few articles detailing the previous leader's court trial. Even with her vast computer knowledge, and her special skill of being able to get into any files she wanted to, she kept running into a dead end. So far she'd only managed to find was the name of their newest leader, Nanao, and some minute details about him. She remembered him to be one of Aida's disciples, but he seemed to be covering his tracks a lot better than Aida had. For that alone she had to give the guy his props for keeping everything to hush-hush, but if there was any dirty dealing, there would be some trace of it somewhere. They couldn't hide it forever.

She thought back to the day before when she'd been cleaning and the phone had started ringing. She'd answered it, only to be met by silence. Confused, she'd hung up only for the phone to ring again. More suspicious than before, she cautiously answered the phone again.

"Tell that boyfriend or yours that he needs to back off." A voice growled on the other side of the phone, the sound instantly sending a chill down her spine.

"E-Excuse me?"

"Tell him to mind his own business, but don't you dare tell him that we called. Or you and he both will soon live to regret it. We're watching you." The voice answered shortly, hanging up immediately afterwards. She wouldn't deny that the call had rattled her, feeling her body shiver for several moments afterwards. What had they meant? What were they talking about? Had it been someone from the AID? Grace had decided not to tell Mamoru about the call, as had been instructed to her. She didn't want to worry him anymore than she knew he already was worried about her. She also didn't want anything bad to happen to him if she did tell him about that call. Although it meant breaking her promise to him, she'd then decided to do a little investigating on her own.

The hot tea sitting on the coffee table in front of her steamed, having been freshly brewed. She shifted her laptop off her lap and onto the couch beside her. She grabbed the cup of tea and took a delicate sip, the tea still being hot to the touch. The amount of tea in her and Mamoru's apartment had drastically decreased the past few days since she'd received that phone call. It was just about the only thing that would calm her nerves, and she'd made sure to keep a cup within arm's reach since. An idea arose in her mind and she leaned over to grab her cell phone. She quickly went through her contact list and tapped on the one she was looking for, putting it up to her ear to speak. It rang for a few times before the call connected, and a rather unhappy grunt came from the other end of the line.

"What the hell do you want?" Soryu asked sounding rather annoyed. Grace didn't pay his tone too much attention, Soryu always sounded annoyed whenever he talked to her.

"I wanted to ask you some stuff about the AID."

A brief silence on the other end of the phone was quickly followed by a quiet chuckle. "Mamoru know about this?"

"Well see, I thought maybe we could just keep this conversation between the two of us."

Another laugh. "So I'll take that as a no?"

Grace groaned. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"What makes you think I want to help you?"

A cheeky smile crossed Grace's face. "Because if you don't I'm going to tell Eisuke about the painting that you sold without his permission."

Another brief silence. "How'd you know about that?"

"I have my ways. Now are you going to help me or not?"

She heard Soryu curse away from the phone. "Fine, what is it that you want to know?"

"Tell me everything you know about Nanao."

"Not much to tell really. He's a rather private fellow, and the only interaction I've had with him is during an arms deal we had recently."

"Did he talk to you at all? About anything?"

Soryu paused as if to think for a moment. "He talked to me very briefly while some of the details were getting sorted out."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Mostly just polite chit chat. You know though... now that you mention it, he did say something to one of his colleagues about wanting to wrap the deal up quickly, said he had somewhere he had to be."

Grace grabbed the pen and notepad she had been writing all of the information she'd found out on.

"Did you hear where he said he had to go?"

"Something about a girlfriend of his that was coming up to the compound to visit him."

Writing the information down, Grace nodded. "He say her name?"

"If he did, I didn't hear it. I had other things to deal with than listening to some punk complain about wanting to see his girlfriend."

"Who specifically was he talking to when he was saying all of that?"

"One of my colleagues who was getting some last minute details about our dealings."

"Would it be alright if I talked to this colleague of yours?"

"Absolutely not. How about this, I'll ask him what all they talked about and I'll call you back later?"

"Okay, that's fine. Thanks Soryu."

Soryu chuckled, the laugh sounding more sarcastic than pleasant. "Yeah sure whatever. I'll call you back later if I found out anything."

"Thanks." She said again and heard the other end of the line go dead, then tossed her phone onto the other end of the couch. She was writing down everything he'd just told her when she heard the front door open up. She looked up to see Mamoru walking in, his coat hanging over one shoulder. Glancing over at the clock, she groaned internally. He was early. She thought she'd have had a little more time to dig around before he got back. He tossed the coat onto the lounge chair by the door and walked over towards her, and she smiled. He came over and pressed a tender kiss to her lips, his face looming over hers.

"How was work?" She asked when she pulled back, reaching up to rub his cheek with her hand.

Mamoru shrugged. "Same old, same old. What have you been up to?" He looked over at the notepad she had sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Seeing where his gaze was, she knew if she didn't want him to know what she was really up to, she would have to get that notepad away from him. Why hadn't she kept it closer to her before he got there? Grace distracted him quickly with a kiss, reaching forward to grab the pad and tuck it behind her back.

"Nothing really. Just hanging out here mostly."

Unfortunately he didn't seem to buy it, raising an inquisitive and suspicious eyebrow at her. "What was that? What are you hiding behind your back?"

"N-Nothing. I was just... I was just trying to think of birthday present ideas for you is all. Didn't want you to see."

Mamoru chuckled low in his throat, a sound that always made Grace melt in his embrace. "My birthday's not for a few months sweetheart."

"I know. I was just trying to get a head start!" She replied, frowning slightly to throw him off.

He smiled and shook his head, seemingly giving up for the time being, and turned to head into the kitchen. Sighing quietly with relief, she stood up and went to follow him into the kitchen. It was almost dinnertime and she hadn't even thought to prepare anything, she'd been too busy with everything else. As she went past him, Mamoru quickly spun around and ran back over to the couch where she'd stupidly left her notepad. Seeing him, she chased after him and went to grab the notepad before he could get it, but he was much faster than she'd expected. He snatched it up and was looking at it, holding her away with one hand. The slightly amused look on his face darkened considerably when he read the pad, looking to her.

"What's this?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing really."

"Nothing? Grace, you've been snooping again haven't you?"

Grace shrugged guiltily. "Not really snooping as much as just trying to get information."

Mamoru closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, tossing the pad onto the couch. "Grace, you promised me you would stay out of this."

"I am. You just seemed to be having a hard time with it lately and I thought maybe I could just try to help and..." She tried to lie.

"Grace!" He interrupted, his voice sounding much angrier than it had moments ago, "You promised me you'd keep your nose out of this! These are dangerous people kid, do you not realize that?"

Grace placed her hands on her hips. "It's not like I'm going out on stake outs here or something Mamo. I just wanted to help."

"Grace, I don't need your help! Do you not understand that? What I need is for you to be safe, and stay the hell out of this."

"But, I just..."

"No but's! You're only going to get yourself in trouble if you keep down this path Grace. And I see you've already been talking to Soryu about this? You are, in fact, snooping!"

Shifting uncomfortably where she stood, she looked down at the ground. "I'm... I'm sorry I didn't..."

"Don't Grace. You promised me that you wouldn't interfere, and you didn't even last a few days before completely going against that."

"Mamo... I'm sorry..." She whispered. She'd only wanted to help, but seeing the angry look he was giving her now, she wished she hadn't. But he was right though, and she knew he was. She'd promised him that she wouldn't involve herself in his case, and she'd completely broken that. She didn't dare utter a word about the phone call she'd gotten the other day, not wanting to further the argument. She'd never seen him quite this upset at her before.

Seeing her face, the hurt look she was giving him, Mamoru gave her a pained expression. He sighed and shook his head, running his hand through his hair again roughly. "I just need to take a walk alone right now. I'll be back later."

She went to say something to him, but before she could, he'd already walked out the door, locking the door behind himself. Grace walked over to the couch and sat down, dropping her head down into her hands. She hadn't meant to make him upset at her. She knew he was only looking after her safety, she knew that was really what he was so upset about. But why he was so worried about her safety in this case, she'd never know. From what she did know, he didn't have enough dirt on the AID for them to want to retaliate. She decided that she would continue with her own small investigation, but she would just need to be more discreet about it. Soryu would call her back with anything he'd found out, and she would just give it to Mamoru when he wasn't quite as cross with her. If he thought she was just going to sit on the sidelines for this, he was dead wrong. She wanted to help take down the AID almost as much as he did, after what they'd gone through when they'd been staying at the compound. The sound of her own stomach growling brought her back from her thoughts. She decided to go ahead and make dinner for her and Mamoru, she'd just save his plate for him for when he got back. He'd probably just went on a walk around the block like he usually did whenever they had a fight. He'd be back soon.

She was heading into the kitchen when she heard it. It was very faint, and very brief, but she'd heard it. She scrunched up her face in concentration, and focused on the sound. A faint tapping noise on the other side of the door, almost sounding like it was coming from the door lock on the other side. Was Mamoru already back? He couldn't have been, Grace glanced at the clock, he'd only been gone for no more than fifteen minutes. She knew him well enough to know that after they'd been arguing, he wouldn't come back no more than thirty minutes afterwards. It was like clockwork. And besides, he'd locked the door behind him when he left, she'd heard the lock click. As the tapping continued, she knew it couldn't be him. He had the key to the lock, he'd have already been inside by then if it really was him. But then who was it?


	4. Chapter 4

Leaning back against a light pole, Mamoru pulled out his carton of cigarettes and shook one out into his hand. The look that Grace had given him earlier haunting his thoughts as he lit the cigarette, taking a generous puff from it. He hadn't meant to just blow up at her like that, he really hadn't. But she'd promised him that she'd stay out of his case! He knew he had every right to be upset with her, but he also knew that she hadn't done it out of malice, or just to spite him. She'd just wanted to help. That was just so like her. She was always wanting to help everyone, no matter the circumstances. That eternal case of curiosity of hers was just a shadow of the kindness and generosity that he knew she had. But that still didn't excuse the fact that if she kept interfering with this case, something might happen to her. And he'd be damned if he lost someone else because of the AID.

He'd stormed down the street like he always did whenever they fought. It was a rather childish notion now that he thought about it, but it always just gave him a few minutes to himself to think. They didn't really fight all that often, but it had just become almost a routine for him to just duck out for a few minutes afterwards. Just to let each other cool down. Better he did the walking too. He didn't like thinking of her leaving after a fight and something happening where he couldn't get to her.

Chuckling to himself, he flicked the butt of his cigarette. He'd really fallen head over heels for her, hadn't he? He certainly hadn't expected it, and certainly hadn't planned on it. But he had. Something about her just drew him to her, like a moth to a flame. He really didn't tell her quite as often as he should that he loved her, but that was just his way. Being the prideful creature he was, he didn't like all that vulnerability crap that all these chicks seemed to just fawn over in their men. Not that Grace was like that. She was different. She never expected him to change at all. She loved him as he was, and he knew that.

He glanced down at his watch, another ten minutes and he'd head back to the apartment. She'd probably be making dinner by now, knowing her. He just wanted to calm down before he got back. He'd apologize to her for yelling at her the way he did, he knew he would. He was more worried about her being safe than anything else. If only she could understand that. She'd been right earlier though, it wasn't exactly like she'd been out interviewing suspects or going on stakeouts. She'd just looked up all the information she could find, and with any other case, he'd be glad for the help. But these were some dangerous people, and whether she realized it or not, they wouldn't think twice about hurting her.

But... it certainly was very unlike Grace to break a promise to him. She'd never done so in the past, so the behavior was quite unlike her. And she'd always been so adamant about keeping promises to other people, particularly him. It was just one of those stubborn traits of hers that he'd quite liked. It had just always comforted him, knowing that he could always trust her and count on her. A trait that was just so rare nowadays. He wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of that earlier, taking another long drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke high into the air. Had something happened that she hadn't told him before? Something that pushed her into doing her own snooping? But what? What could have happened to make her break a promise to him? He began to feel pertubed by the idea, thinking something had happened that she hadn't told him.

Mamoru was taking another drag of his cigarette when his phone began ringing in his pocket. Who would be calling him now? It wasn't Grace's ringtone. He clenched the cigarette in between his teeth as he fished the phone from his pocket. The caller ID read Kaoru and he rolled his eyes. What now?

He punched the answer button and sighed exaggeratedly. "What do you want Kaoru?"

"Mamoru, I was just doing some digging into some records that I could actually get a hold of the AID."

Mamoru straightened slightly. "What did you get?"

"Man this goes so much deeper than we thought. Extortion, murder, rape, you name it and the AID isn't too far away."

"I figured as much... I knew about the rape charges that had brought up but had then been mysteriously dismissed. I talked to my source earlier today and they said that the girls had brought the charges against them, but had then been bribed by the AID to remain silent. So they dropped the charges. But shortly after the charges were dropped, the girls disappeared completely. Just vanished into thin air."

"You think the AID had them killed?"

"I don't know, my source doesn't know either. Just said that all the girls had completely vanished and no one had seen, or hear from, them since. But I wouldn't doubt it. Sounds like something they'd do to cover their tracks."

Kaoru paused briefly, as if to absorb the information, before continuing. "I was also just looking into their phone records, just to see if I could tie them to any crime groups."

"Did you?"

"No not really, but Mamo there's something that I did find that I think you should know about."

An uneasy feeling settled over Mamoru. "What is it?"

"Well when I was looking through their records, I found a phone number that they'd called twice. Both times within a few minute increment."

"Who's number was it?"

"It was your house phone Mamo. They called your apartment."

His cigarette fell to the ground as he tried desperately to keep his voice calm and even as usual. "How long did the calls last?"

"Not very long from what I can see. The first call was only a few seconds. The second one was just over a minute." Kaoru answered, and Mamoru could hear the sound of him flipping through papers in the background. He suddenly heard the call waiting ringing on his phone. He groaned and glanced down at the number. Eisuke.

"Hey man, thanks for letting me know. I have a call on the other line so I'll talk to you later." He said to Kaoru, and punched it over to the other call.

"What is it Eisuke? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

"Where are you right now?"

Mamoru raised his eyebrow at the question. "I'm down the street from my apartment. What's it to you?"

"Well someone paid a visit to your room at the penthouse."

Mamoru chuckled nervously. "Paid a visit huh? Well who was it?"

"I don't know, but whoever it was, they were not particularly thrilled with you."

"What do you mean?"

"The room's trashed Mamo. It looks like a hurricane came through and just destroyed the entire room."

Mamoru tensed. "Did they leave anything?"

"Yeah. A note."

"What's the note say?"

Eisuke made a sound as if he was reaching to grab something before he spoke. "It says that you shouldn't have snooped around their compound the other day."

The words echoed in his mind, and Mamoru tried to think calmly, but was finding it hard to do. "Well I'm sorry they trashed the room Eisuke, I'll have someone come in and..."

Eisuke quickly interrupted him. "Mamo that's not it. The note was written on the back of some picture of yours."

Mamoru froze in his spot, his blood instantly running cold in his veins. "What's the picture of?"

"It's a picture of Grace, Mamo. Where's Grace now?"

Mamoru's heart pounded so violently in his chest that he was afraid that it'd jump out from his body. "She's back at..." A sudden realization dawned on Mamoru, a thought so terrible that it caused him to lose his breath momentarily. Without even a second thought, he dropped the phone and took off at a dead sprint.


	5. Chapter 5

_Please let her be safe_, Mamoru kept silently praying to himself. How could he have been so stupid? He should've known better than to underestimate the AID's security precautions. They'd amped up all of their security since their last leader, so he should've known better than to think that they wouldn't keep a tight watch around the perimeter. The equipment hadn't seemed very advanced, but that was probably the intention, now that he thought about it. They must've seen him sneaking around the outskirts of the compound the other night, prowling around trying to dig up whatever information he could. He thought he'd been so careful about it. But apparently not. The minute Kaoru had told him about the phone call, he knew. He'd just known. They were probably calling to warn him or threaten him, something like that. But he knew now who they had talked to. Grace. They'd probably either threatened her, or threatened him, he wasn't sure which. The pieces of his earlier puzzle seemed to fall into place. They'd probably said something to her, and that was why she'd started doing her own investigating. But either way, they'd talked to Grace. And they'd known she was living there with him. He was sprinting down the street heading back towards the apartment, pushing pedestrians out of his way as he went.

He ran up the stairs of the apartment and came to a dead stop outside of their front door. He grabbed a hold of the railing to steady himself as his eyes saw the front door, his knuckles turning white. Holes. Bullet holes. They littered the entirty of the front door. The color drained from his face and Mamoru was unable to find his voice. _No_. The door was slightly ajar and was partially off its hinges, so he yanked his gun from its holster at his hip, which he'd forgotten to take off before he left earlier. Although he was glad now that he had it. He tentatively pushed the door open, holding his pistol up. The door creaked open slowly, the sound echoing around him. His hands shook marginally as he stepped through the front door into the living room. His heart sank. The entire room was trashed. Furniture was overturned, lamps were broken, glass covered the floor, holes littered the walls directly across from the front door. Panic began to bubble slowly inside of Mamoru, and he fought desperately to keep calm. But it was beginning to prove to be a losing battle.

With his gun raised, he cautiously stepped over some of the broken glass, being careful not to make too much noise. The vase that had been resting peacefully on the kitchen counter now destroyed into pieces beneath him. The flowers Grace had placed inside of it, to liven up the room she'd said, were crushed underneath the broken glass. Stepped on. The broken pieces crunched underneath his feet loudly, causing him to pause momentarily. If someone was still in here, he didn't want to alert them that he was there. He quickly went to check the rooms. He checked the bathroom, the office, the laundry room. He couldn't find anyone. Even Grace. That thought numbed his mind almost completely. _Where was she?_ The last room he had to check was their bedroom. Stealthily avoiding more broken glass scattered across the floor, he made his way towards their bedroom. His eyes widened drastically when he saw the trail of something smeared on the floor leading into their room. His heart hammering in his chest, he bent forward to inspect it more closely, as it was considerably darker now that all the lights in the apartment were shattered. Red illuminated his vision. His worst fear realized. Blood. That thought alone almost caused Mamoru to completely drop his weapon and fall to the floor. It was blood.

Collecting himself the best he could, Mamoru quickly went into the bedroom to check to see if anyone was there. The room itself seemed to look worse than the rest. His breath hitched momentarily, seeing the remains of their room. Grace's clothing chest had been overturned, lying face down on the floor beside the bed. Their clothing ripped to shreds mercilessly, scattered across the bed. Torn papers were strewed about and feathers from their pillows still floated in the air above his head, as if it had only happened moments ago. With another sickening realization, Mamoru knew that it probably had happened only moments before he got there. _But where was Grace?_ Breathing heavily, he returned to the kitchen and stood in the center. Trying with everything he had to try to stay calm, think logically. But he couldn't. Grace was gone and there was blood on the floor. How could he possibly be calm?

"_Grace_!" He shouted. Running his hands through his hair roughly, he held back a sob. They'd taken Grace. His Grace. _No_. His mind started trying to rationalize that she was alright. That she was only hiding somewhere, safe and sound. It wasn't her blood on the floor, it had to have belonged to whoever broke in. He trumped over into the laundry room to check again. Maybe she'd gone out the back way? The back door was open he saw. Maybe she'd managed to get out before whoever had been here had come inside? He began to shove things out of his way desperately, trying to get to the back door. But then he heard something. It was very faint at first, and he paused, trying to listen to the noise. Was someone here? Had they come back? He readied his weapon once again, listening for the sound again.

"Mamo?" A voice called quietly from inside the apartment, so weak that Mamoru was almost amazed he'd been able to hear it in the first place. But he knew that voice. Relief and a new twinge of fear slammed into him as he scrambled back into the apartment, trying to locate the small voice.

"_Grace!?_" He shouted again, the sound of his own ragged breathing the only noise in the apartment as he waited. The voice called to him again, and he ran into their bedroom. She was here, he'd heard her voice, calling his name. Tears stained the corners of his eyes as he stood in the center of the room. Her voice had definately come from in here. He was sure of it. Then he saw it. Coming from underneath Grace's clothing chest, a hand. Grace's hand, a red hue coating the surface, trying to wave out to him her location. Mamoru's mind seemed to go into autopilot as he rushed forward and began lifting the chest off of her. With almost superhuman strength, he tossed the chest away and went to her side. She was so pale, her skin a ghostly white. But her entire right arm was dripping blood, so much so that Mamoru didn't say a word, but simply just scooped her up into his arms and took off at a dead run out the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

Grace's eyes opened slowly, and she straightened herself in the hospital bed. The smell of antiseptic filled the air, invading her senses. She'd fallen asleep earlier and stretched slightly to wake herself up, feeling a heavy object in her lap. She looked down and smiled seeing Mamoru's head in her lap as he dozed quietly, holding her right hand in his as if his life depended on it. Ruffling his hair with her hand, she leaned her head back against her pillow.

She'd been lucky that day. She had gone to investigate the front door after she'd heard that strange noise, and had heard the sound of gun's loading. She'd thrown herself down onto the ground when they opened rounds into the front door. One of the bullets had nicked her shoulder, but she'd managed to drag herself towards their bedroom. Her first thought was to get out through the back door in the laundry room, but she had heard people trying to come in through that was as well. Her best bet had been to hide. She pulled herself up off the ground and had instantly gone over to her clothing chest. The interior was just large enough to hold her inside, so she'd climbed inside and closed the doors when the front and back door had burst open. She had no idea who it had been, but she'd covered her mouth with her hand, afraid that her own breathing would be too loud and would give away her hiding spot. But she'd been lucky. They hadn't found her. Her only downfall had been when one of the men had shoved the chest over, trapping her inside. She'd waited until they'd left, and she could no longer hear their footsteps echoing in the apartment, before she'd tried to get out of the chest. Her shoulder had hurt something fierce, and she'd just been too weak to push it off.

She continued to play with Mamoru's hair with one hand, smiling down at his sleeping face. But he'd come. She'd heard someone coming in later, after all the excitement, and she'd been afraid that whoever had been there before had come back. But then he'd called her name. The sound of his voice had almost made her want to weep with relief. He found her moment later and had pulled her from underneath the chest. The pained and almost tortured expression he'd had on his face practically broke her heart, but she hadn't been able to utter another word. She was so weak with relief, and with blood loss as she'd found out later, that she couldn't speak. He'd scooped her up into his arms without a word and just took off running. She'd passed out before they'd even hit the front door, but from what the nurse had told her earlier, Mamoru had run the entire twelve blocks to the hospital with her in his arms. Hadn't left her side since. She adjusted her shoulder, which they had bandaged up for her. While it was still a little sore, it didn't hurt nearly as bad she would have ever expected. Her movement stirred Mamoru, who opened his eyes sleepily for a moment before looking up at her, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Bags drooped under his eyes, and Grace knew that he probably hadn't gotten much sleep since they'd gotten there the day before. He scooted his chair closer to her and held her hand against his face, placing a kiss against it.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?" He asked quietly. He stood from his chair and sat down on the bed next to her, reaching out to cup her cheek with his hand.

She grinned. "I'm alright, all things considered."

He rubbed a finger lightly over her bandaged shoulder, as if he was afriad his touch would break her. "Your doctor told me that the bullet only grazed you, but that you still needed a few stitches to patch everything up."

"Doctor said that I was lucky. He said that I should be able to leave her later this afternoon after he comes back to check on me."

He nodded and sighed, squeezing his eyelids shut. "Grace I'm..."

Grace shook her head vehemently, placing her hand over his on her face. "Don't you dare even apologize Mamo. This wasn't your fault."

"I'm just so sorry you had to go through that sweetheart. I'm sorry I wasn't there." He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter. The corners of his eyes wrinkled at the motion, the guilt he felt apparent on his rather tired looking face.

Grace smiled sweetly at him. "That was an apology Mamo."

"I'm serious Grace."

She squeezed his hand. "But you came back didn't you? The nurse told me you ran all the way here."

"You were hurt..."

"You ran twelve blocks, carrying nothing but dead weight at that point, to get me to the hospital."

He shook his head, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Grace there was just so much blood. Your arm was just completely soaked."

"I know..."

"I was so damned afraid I was going to lose you." He whispered, and Grace could feel him tremble slightly in her arms.

She tightened her hold on him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

He opened his eyes, looking wetter than before, and gave her a small smile. "Don't you scare me like that again kid."

Grace laughed, glad to get him back his usual self. "I'll try not to."

"They called the house. You talked to them, didn't you?" He asked, leaning back again.

Grace closed her eyes briefly and nodded. "Yeah. They called."

"That's why you started snooping again, isn't it?"

She nodded again. "Yeah."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it before. I thought about it after I left. You're too stubborn to break a promise to anyone. Especially one concerning your safety. And never in a million years would you do anything behind my back, you're way too good of a person to do that. I should've known."

Grace laughed again and leaned forward towards him. "How could you have known Mamo? I didn't tell you when I really probably should have."

"Granted, but I know they probably told you not to. You didn't want me to worry probably, I know you." He said, chuckling to himself.

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked, seeing his expression darken as he looked away from her.

"I'm going to get into that compound, and take them down once and for all."

Grace sighed and placed her hand on his. "Then let me help."

"No. I'm not getting you involved in this again. You've already ended up in the hospital because of my stupidity..."

"This wasn't your fault. This happened because of the AID, not you. And now more than ever, I really want to help you. At the very least, you'll be able to keep a better eye on me until we do bring their operations down." She knew that last sentence would tug at Mamoru's heart strings and he sighed, shaking his head and chuckling. He brought his hand up and ruffled her hair gently like he always did.

"Alright. We'll work on this together, but you do exactly as I say, got it?"

"Got it."

He smiled and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. "I love ya kid, you know that right?"

Grace felt her heart swell in her chest. "Yeah, I know. I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

Grace sighed as she leaned into Mamoru's side, his arm wrapped carefully around her and a blanket lying over her legs delicately. She and Mamoru had left the hospital hours earlier and had gone up to the penthouse. While it was the first place that had been broken into, it was considerably safer than their own apartment, especially after word got around to the other guys what had happened. Eisuke had made certain that the entire hotel was in lock down so that no further incidents happened. The boys surrounded Grace like a frenzy of ravenous wolves, each of them wanting blood for what had happened with Mamoru leading the charge. While it was a treat in itself that these particular men were fussing over her so, it just about drove her crazy. After everything that had happened, all she wanted was a few minutes to herself.

She'd finally managed to get them to leave her alone for a while, giving the excuse that she needed to rest, and had retreated to Mamoru's room. Eisuke had also had a team of maids come up to clean the room up before their arrival, so it was completely spotless. She'd made her way over to the couch in the corner of the room and had practically collapsed, taking special care of her shoulder. She'd had a conversation with Soryu earlier and wanted to check in on some of the information he'd given her. She grabbed Mamoru's laptop, which he typically kept at the penthouse, and started working. She hadn't been able to access AID's mainframe before in her previous investigation, but something had changed. As if they let down the walls, if only for a few minutes, to let her see inside. Nanao was likely slacking in his security detail, too focused on trying to get the nosy detective and his girlfriend off his case. Voices ricocheted outside the room and she knew that the boys were discussing the situation. Probably trying to come up with some sort of plan of what to do. She'd have a few minutes to herself before Mamoru would come in to be with her. She clicked away and typed heatedly on the keyboard, typing in commands that would keep the mainframe open to her for further access. She knew that as long as she kept her foot in the door, she'd be able to sneak in and out of their network without being detected.

As predicted, Mamoru followed after her moments later. Closing the laptop and placing it on the coffee table in front of her, she grinned at him, patting the spot on the couch next to her. He smirked at her, shaking his head at her before complying. While he still looked ragged and tired, a determined yet soft look dominated his demeanor. His hard detective attitude that usually took over his face was replaced by a gentle one, an expression that only she was able to see. He grabbed the blanket that was draped over the side of the couch and placed it on her lap before sitting down next to her. It was then that she realized that she'd been shaking, her nerves likely still on end. Instinctively, she snuggled into his side, seeking his comfort and warmth as they sat together, letting the weight of the world drift away from their minds, if only for a few minutes. She inhaled deeply as she hugged closer to him. Mamoru's scent was always heady to her, and it always seemed to put her at ease. Even the cigarette smell that lingered around him was a comfort to her, although she wouldn't tell him that. She'd gotten used to it over time and had just eventually accepted it as part of him, an ashy smell that was just purely Mamoru. It felt good for him to hold her like this, and she didn't want him to ever let go. But her mind kept running in fifty different directions and she recalled the conversation that she and Soryu had had earlier, while Mamoru had been talking to Eisuke and Baba.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I talked to Soryu earlier."

Mamoru reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh yeah? What'd he say?"

"Well the other day I was asking him what he knew about Nanao and he said that one of his other colleagues had actually spoken to him. Said he'd let me know if he found anything out."

"Did he?"

"Yeah he did actually. He said that as it turns out, one of the special 'deliveries' that goes in and out of the compound is actually his girlfriend. She lives in the next town over, but their relationship isn't exactly sanctioned since she's not part of their organization. Once a week he sneaks her in for a little private time."

Mamoru nodded. "That would explain why he keeps it so hush-hush. I doubt even some of his other members know what's going on."

"Probably not. Now, Soryu said that the particular delivery she comes in with arrives at the compound every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6 pm on the dot. She rides in the truck with the delivery man under the ruse that she's there to do paperwork with him. While the boxes are being unloaded, they sneak away to 'do some paperwork', and she leaves with the truck right around 7."

"Security's still pretty tight though. I doubt anyone could sneak in, even during that window."

"Well see that's the thing though!" Grace exclaimed as she reached forward to grab Mamoru's computer again and pull it into her lap.

"What is?"

"Well see, after I talked to Soryu, I did a little digging on the computer and found out that during this particular window while his girlfriend is there, he turns some of their security off. Probably so there's no footage of them sneaking around together. But that window would actually be the perfect time to get inside. But we'd only have that hour window before the cameras go back up. I could hold it off longer, but I figure it would look suspicious if I did."

Mamoru chuckled. "You're pretty good at this kid, I ever tell you that?"

"Not nearly enough." She replied with a cocky grin, nibbling on her lip as she continued to type away on the computer.

"I can get in and out without raising any flags."

"Yep. I can hide out nearby with my computer and keep an eye out for you."

The groan he gave vibrated through his chest, tickling her side. "I'm letting you help, but I still feel uncomfortable having you that close there."

Tapping away at her computer, she spoke. "I've already hacked into their security cameras, so I can keep an eye on you while you go through the compound. I can warn you of anything coming up. I can stay outside of the compound perimeter if it'll make you feel any better, and even have one of the guys stay with me, but I really think that it'll be the safer option for everybody."

Despite himself, he grinned at her and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You hacked into their security cameras?"

"Yeah, I can loop the feed around so that the cameras that are still up during that time only see what I let them see. And then I can turn the rest of the cameras on without letting them record anything. That way, even those watching the cameras wouldn't be able to see what I'm seeing. You can handle all the rest."

He raised an eyebrow. "When did you learn to do something like that?"

She threw him a sultry smile. "I may just be a maid right now, but I did go to college for computer science if you'll recall."

"I underestimate just how much smarter you are than I am sometimes." He replied, his voice deep as he leaned in towards her.

"Something you should never do." She replied before his lips sealed hers.


	8. Chapter 8

"So do we have everything ready?" Mamoru asked as he leaned forward in his seat. In the front seat of the van that they were currently in, computer in her lap, was Grace. She typed away busily, trying to regain access into the security mainframe as he and Baba talked quietly. Mamoru hadn't felt comfortable leaving Grace alone, even if she was a safe distance away, and had brought Baba along just in case. He would've rather had Kaoru there, but having a previous engagement, he wasn't able to make it. But at least he had Baba. The thought of leaving Grace alone with Baba was almost enough for him to rethink things, but he knew that she'd snatched him up several times for his advances in the past, and so she was more than capable of holding her own with him. They'd driven down to the perimeter of the compound and waited until Mamoru had the green light to go from Grace. She and Baba were going to wait in the van, with Grace monitoring the security, until Mamoru returned, or until they needed to get away. He'd managed to nab up a delivery van identical to the ones going in and out of the compound so as to blend in better, to try to at least look a little less inconspicuous.

"Yeah," Baba replied, his elbow propped up against the window of the driver's side of the van, "all that's left now is to wait until Grace has gotten full access. Is that going to be anytime today there Grace?"

"Patience is a virtue Baba. A virtue you apparently lack. I'm almost done, just a few more seconds… and… done! I now have full access. You're good to go Mamo." Mamoru nodded and slid out of the side of the van, closing the door quietly behind him. He went around the van to the passenger side window, where Grace waited for him.

"I should be in and out in just a few minutes. Keep an eye peeled for any… nasty's… and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Grace reached forward and cupped the side of his face, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. "Be careful, huh?"

He smiled at her and kissed her hand. "I will, you too."

"Yeah, try not to get yourself killed in there." Baba teased.

Mamo narrowed his eyes at him. "Keep your hands to yourself and keep her safe. Understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll behave myself. Or I'll try to, Grace here just looks so striking tonight, it might prove to be difficult." He chuckled. Both Grace and Mamoru rolled their eyes and looked back at one another. Grace leaned forward to adjust the headpiece in Mamoru's right ear, making sure it was secure and tightly in place. She had an identical set in her own ear to use for relaying information to him, that way they could remain in constant contact.

Mamoru leaned forward and kissed Grace quickly on the lips. "If any trouble comes your way, Baba, I want you to take her away from here. I'll figure out how to get myself out, but you just make sure you get her as far away as you can."

Baba nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I will. Now get, gates are about to open."

Throwing her a cocky wink, Grace watched Mamoru disappear into the thicket. She sent a silent prayer up that he would be alright, and immediately went back to work on her computer. Her job was only just beginning. A view of the front entrance popped up onto her screen, illuminating the dark space. Glancing quickly at her watch and then back at the monitor, she watched a delivery truck drive up to the gates. _Like clockwork,_ she thought to herself. Typing in a few commands on the keyboard, she disabled the front cameras, looping the feed so that only she could see what was happening. The guards inside would see the three hours of security feed that she'd recorded and set on repeat for the time being. Baba leaned closer so that he could watch the screen as well, still keeping a safe distance from her. She couldn't help but smile, Baba was a cocky womanizer, but even he knew better than to cross Mamoru.

The delivery truck driver spoke briefly to one of the guards at the entrance, and the gates opened up. "Okay Mamo, gates are open. If you follow in beside the truck on the left side, you'll sneak right past the guards." She said into her speaker. Mamoru's figure entered into the shot and he gave a thumbs up towards the camera, sneaking in alongside the truck. Once the truck and Mamoru disappeared from the screen, Grace switched over to the next available shot. Her fingers flew over the keys as she continued to type in commands, allowing her full access to the compound's main security frame.

"Did he take his gun?" Baba asked quietly, watching the screen alongside her.

Grace scoffed with a smile. "It's Mamo. You really think he would've left without it?"

"Good point." He replied, glancing outside his window to keep watch around them, "Hey… what happened to all the watch dogs that Mamo said were all over the place around here?"

"They're all down with some sort of bug." She replied.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because I hacked into their dog unit's computers and changed around their medications. Didn't want them all lurking around while we were here. They'll be just fine in a day or two."

Baba chuckled. "You're vicious man."

She smiled again. "You have no idea. Okay, Mamo. Go in through that door back there, the guard just ran for a bathroom break. Go in through there."

"Copy." His voice whispered on the other end of the transceiver.

Grace switched over on the other side of her screen to pull up a view of the office that Nanao and his girlfriend were in. She wanted to keep tabs on them as well to make sure they stayed put while Mamoru snuck about. She watched as Nanao and his lady-friend conversed politely for a moment, temporary chit-chat before they switched over to their… other activities. She would make sure not to check back in on that particular room when that happened, but she just wanted to make sure they would be distracted long enough for Mamoru to get in and get out without a hitch. But soon Grace found herself in a panic as she saw, what appeared to be, an argument rise between the two. Grace wasn't able to pull up the audio, but there was no doubt in her mind that they were fighting. Arms flew up frustratedly in the air, pointing at one another, the girl stomping her foot on the ground. If they left that room, it would only be a matter of time before they ran smack dab into Mamoru. The girlfriend then spun on her heel and stormed out of the office and down the hallway. Grace looked over at the other screen to see Mamoru heading in the same direction at the other end of the hallway.

"Mamo, the girlfriend is coming your way, hide." She said quickly. Mamoru nodded in the direction of the camera, and ducked into a small closet, likely the janitor's closet. Glancing back at the other screen, Grace watched as Nanao stormed out of the office and headed in the same direction as his girlfriend, likely to follow after her. Grace held her breath as Nanao got closer and closer to Mamoru's hiding spot and hoped that he'd hidden himself well.

Storming about and appearing to be talking to himself, Nanao went right past Mamoru down the hall. Grace let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and continued to type away until she heard a noise in the background. She looked down at the screen to see something fall to the ground by Mamoru, a broom perhaps. Nanao spun around on the camera and came face to face with Mamoru, who had been trying to sneak back down the hallway.

"No, no, no." Grace said, watching as Nanao pulled a gun from inside of his jacket, aiming it at Mamoru. Her heart thundered loudly in her chest as she watched the two on the screen. Mamoru held his hands up and glanced up at the security camera in the corner.

"Get outta here kid." He whispered into his mic.

Nanao stormed forward and grabbed at Mamoru's ear, yanking the ear piece from his ear. "Who the hell are you talking to? You have someone helping you on the outside?" Not hearing a reply from Mamoru, Nanao pulled a walkie-talkie from his jacket.

"Go and check around the perimeter. Someone's out there." he barked into the device, bringing the gun up to push Mamoru back towards his office.

"Mamoru's in trouble!" Grace said anxiously, looking over at Baba. But Baba wasn't looking at her, he was looking out of his window.

"We have bigger problems right now Grace."

"What the hell do you mean?"

He pointed out the window at a group of men coming towards their truck. "They must've noticed the van sitting here for too long. We have to leave." He went to start up the van, but Grace grabbed his hand.

"I have a plan." She said, licking her lips nervously.

"Now would be a wonderful time to hear it!"

"I'm going to need you to make a big distraction. I have to go in and help Mamo."

"Did you not hear him earlier? He said that…"

"I heard what he said," she interrupted, "but he's in trouble and I need to help him. I've already got the feed for all the security cameras looping now, so I can easily sneak in. But I need you to draw away these security guards by driving around. Keep them busy until I can get Mamoru and then you come and get us. Then we can get the hell outta here."

Baba gave her a troubled expression. "Grace, I don't know about this. You're still hurt and Mamo would kill me if he found out I let you go. Maybe I should be the one to go in and get him, and you wait in the van"

"Which you rather have? Him getting a little upset about me sneaking in while you give chase to these guys and distract them? Or finding out that you left me here and I got caught?"

Baba gave an exacerbated sigh and groaned. "Fine. Give me your earpiece and just call me when you need me to swing back around." Grace nodded and quickly transferred her piece over to him, making haste as she saw the group of guards coming closer to the van. She quickly tossed her computer onto the seat, making sure the security footage was still looping around, and jumped out of the van. Hoping that she'd make it in time, she began running towards the compound, listening to the sound of the van's tires squealing away.


	9. Chapter 9

Mamoru groaned as the end of Nanao's gun slammed into his back, knocking him to his knees. With the gun pointed firmly at his head, Nanao stalked around him. Like a predator circling its prey. But Mamoru wasn't all that worried about himself. He knew that he'd be able to find a way out, knowing that Grace had the security cameras under her control. He'd already been devising his escape route, even with the gun against his head. The only thing that worried him was the fact that Nanao had notified some of his guards about Grace and Baba. That womanizing thief had better damned well be far away from this place or so help him, he'd smother him with that stupid hat of his.

He was anxious, Mamoru noted of Nanao. The way sweat furrowed at his brow, the pacing back and forth. Mamoru knew he had him. A detective had managed to sneak into his little fortress once again, and his whole world was about to come crashing down on him. If a detective were to mysteriously disappear upon investigating the compound, everyone would know something had gone down, and their front door would be kicked down. Nanao needed him alive, at least for right now. Nanao was thinking, debating; Mamoru could tell just by the way he licked his lips uneasily. Trying to figure out what to do next. Nanao had worked so hard to keep everything so closed up, so neatly kept. Dotted every I and crossed every T. But now everything was going straight down the drain. And he knew it.

It was time to push him. If Mamoru wanted a shot in hell of distracting him long enough to get out before all the guards returned. He needed to rattle him, get him so riled up that he'd slip up. Let down that careful calculating wall long enough to let Mamoru slip through. And he was certain he knew exactly which buttons to push.

"Where'd your girlfriend go?" He asked, watching with careful eyes as Nanao continued to pace in front of him.

"Who the hell knows? Who the hell cares?" Nanao replied snarkily, rubbing some of the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Mamoru grinned. "You know, it's a shame that your entire little operation here is going to be brought down because you wanted to get laid."

"Shut the hell up." He snarled.

"No really, you really had a nice little thing going for you guys for a while. Nobody could even touch you. No proof, nothing. I have to give you this much, you were very careful. You took care of every detail, tied up every loose end. But then what? You got bored of the girls here?"

"I said to shut the hell up! I need to think."

"What'd you do with those girls? The ones who brought those rape charges against you? You kill them?" Mamoru pushed. He prayed that if Grace was still listening in, she was recording everything. Although Nanao had taken his ear piece, the small transceiver was still there, in Nanao's front pocket.

Nanao hissed his breath. "What the hell does that matter right now? You're in quite the bind right now, why don't you shut up already?"

"If you're going to kill me, why would it matter if you told me or no? Who the hell would I be telling anyway?"

Nanao turned sharply on his heel, his eyes wild. "I had those bitches taken care of. They had it coming."

"So you had them murdered? Dumped their bodies somewhere?"

"Yes. Just like was going to do to that stupid girlfriend of yours." A raging fire ignited deep within Mamoru's gut, and he clenched his teeth to attempt to restrain himself. If he did make it out of there, he was going to make it his personal mission to make sure he would get some private time with this asshole in the interrogation room. Tear him from limb to limb.

"So it was you who tried to kill Grace?" Mamoru asked, his voice a little more rough sounding than he'd intended.

Sweat continued to trickle down the side of Nanao's face. "I went in and did it myself. You shouldn't have been prying about so much, I wanted to send you a message. But the stupid bitch wasn't there. She was lucky. She won't be as lucky the next time I pay her a visit."

Mamoru shook his head, giving it his all not to launch forward and sock the son of the bitch in the face. He just needed to push a little more, and he'd make his escape. "I really hope the sex was good, because where you're gonna be going, you won't be getting any for a while. Unless one of the other inmates takes a fancy to you. Then you can go on a 'discovery of love' together!"

When his eyes clouded over with fury, Mamoru knew he had him. Nanao brought the gun around and slammed it into the side of Mamoru's head, causing Mamoru to fall to the ground. Slightly shaken, but still in control, Mamoru yanked his leg around and slammed it into the back of Nanao's. An inhuman roar escaped him as he collapsed to the ground, his gun spinning away from him. Mamoru scrambled towards his gun on the desk in front of him, the one that Nanao had taken from him when they got into the office room. He went to reach for it when he heard Nanao gathering up his gun again, cocking it. He threw himself to the floor as a shot rang out, clipping the chair right in front of him. Nanao charged forward in that instant and slammed his foot down into Mamoru's chest, holding him down on the ground.

Mamoru panted, feeling as something trickled down the side of his face. With the sudden realization that he'd lost his opportunity, he began to desperately think of another plan. There had to be another escape route. He would not let this stupid punk to be the one to punch his life card in. Eyeing the broom just outside the door, the one he'd stupidly knocked over earlier, he began calculating his next move to get over to it. His own gun had been knocked back behind the desk, so there was no way he could get to that at the time.

"You almost had me there detective. I applaud your effort. But I think this is where I draw the line." Nanao growled down at him as he cocked his gun again.

"You don't want to shoot a detective Nanao. You'll never be able to get out of it then. Let me help you. I can erase everything and let you all disappear. A clean slate." Mamoru said, his voice calm. Granted he didn't mean a single word of it, but it didn't matter as long as Nanao bought it. But he didn't.

"I don't think so. You're lying. I don't care if the cops do come snooping around here, I'd rather just kill you and deal with them later." He snarled and Mamoru held his breath, watching Nanao's finger begin to tighten on the trigger. But before he could pull the trigger, someone quickly came from behind him and slammed something against the side of his head, knocking him to the floor. Nanao made a slight groaning noise as he presumably fell unconscious.

Looking up, Mamoru's eyes found the person who had come in after them. The person who had saved his life, on more than one occasion now. Grace. She was holding the broom from earlier in her hands and she was panting furiously. Her hands shook slightly, but her expression was angry. Like a woman on a mission. Mamoru was speechless for a moment, unsure what he was seeing in front of him was real. But Grace looked from Nanao to Mamoru and flashed him a tiny smile, assuring him that she really was there. A smile that despite the situation, was pure Grace.

"I don't know about you," she panted, "but I'm getting a really big fucking case of déjà vu right now."


	10. Chapter 10

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Mamoru thundered, quickly getting up and gathering his gun.

Grace had managed to sneak in past the front gates, and had come searching for him. Baba had done a beautiful job in leading the rest of the security guards away, chasing after him in a complete frenzy while leaving the compound almost completely unprotected. Her heart had pounded so loudly in her chest that she had been afraid that someone would hear it, but she'd snuck around, hoping to get to Mamoru before Nanao could kill him. She'd heard loud voices coming from the office and had gone rushing towards it, her mind hopeful. But then there had been a shot, a gunshot. Her legs had frozen in place and she'd held a hand to her mouth. She'd been absolutely petrified that Nanao had shot Mamoru, but she managed to convince her legs to move once again. When she did get to the office door, she saw Nanao standing over him, gun raised. But Mamoru had been ok. He hadn't appeared to have been shot. Acting quickly, she then grabbed the broom and had swung it at Nanao's head with everything that she had.

Grace held the broom firmly in her hands. "I came to save you stupid! What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I told you to stay in the van!"

"Guards started coming towards the van after Nanao caught you, so I had Baba lead them on a wild goose chase."

"You could've gotten yourself killed kid!"

"So could you, you big fucking jerk! I wasn't the one with a gun pointed at my head earlier!" She stated, waving her arms around, broom still firmly in her grasp as if she was contemplating hitting Mamoru in the head with it. And at that moment, the thought had crossed her mind.

Mamoru stormed forward toward her, his voice increasing with every word. "You should have sent Baba in here then!"

"And what if the guards had caught up with me? What then?!" Her own voiced raised. Mamoru cursed under his breath and ran a hand roughly through his hair. He was silent for a few moments, closing his eyes briefly before looking at her again.

He sighed. "You've got a point."

"I know. A simple thank you would suffice, you know." She replied, her voice softer. It was then that he seemed to notice the tears that were threatening to escape from her eyes. She'd tried to hold them back the best she could, but it appeared to be a losing battle. The stern look in his eyes quickly softened and he rushed forward to gather her in his arms. He crushed her to his chest and held her as if he were afraid someone was going to rip her from his embrace.

"I'm sorry kid. I'm sorry. You're right, thank you. I'm glad that you're okay." He whispered into her ear. Tilting her head back and standing on her toes, she kissed his lips tenderly, letting a few tears drift down from her eyes. He answered her kiss with a smile on his face, cupping her face with his hands and holding her until she pushed back to look up at him.

"How's your arm?" He asked gently, rubbing his finger tentatively over her bandaged shoulder.

She sighed. "It's fine. I'm alright. Really. Now can we just get those documents you need, and get the hell out of here?"

Mamoru kissed her lips softly once more before releasing her. "Alright. The papers should be in one of the filing cabinets here. I'll look for them real quick, you keep an eye on him." As he stalked over to the filing cabinets lining the walls, Grace went over and stood next to Nanao. She nudged him with her foot, and heard him groan in response, but made no movement.

"Hey, where did Nanao put your transceiver?" She asked.

"He tucked it away in his jacket. Be careful though." Mamoru replied, his nose firmly tucked away in the documents. Being careful that he didn't wake, Grace bent forward and felt around in his jacket pocket. It didn't take her long to find the object of her search, and she pulled it out, adjusting it and placing it in her ear.

"Baba? Can you hear me?"

A chuckle on the other end. "I hear ya kid. You get Mamo?"

"Yeah, I got him. You still leading the guards around?"

"Like a bunch of dogs chasing their tails."

She smiled. "Good, think you can get away from them long enough to swing by and pick us up?"

"With pleasure my dear. I'll come by the front gates." He replied. Grace made her way towards Nanao to check on him again when she heard a triumphant sound from Mamoru.

"Ah ha! Got them! Now let's get out of here." Mamoru said as he tucked the desired files away in his jacket. He reached forward and took Grace's hand in his, the two of them slowly making their way into the hallway. Silence filled the empty hallway, so much so that it was almost deafening to Grace. It only made her more aware of her own ragged and nervous breathing, the patter of their feet as they hastily trotted down the hall. Mamoru didn't seem to notice however, he looked just as calm and cool as he always did. But without her eyes in the sky, Grace wasn't quite as sure as Mamoru appeared to be. She knew that while most of the other security guards were out chasing Baba, there were still plenty there in the compound. The fact that she had no idea where they were, or what to expect, frightened her.

The two of them rounded a bend in the hallway. Grace nodded and felt Mamoru squeezing her hand in his, giving her the comfort that she really needed. How had he known that she had needed that? And if she wasn't mistaken, she was almost tempted to believe that in the distance she could hear… sirens? But where could the sirens be coming from?

She could see Mamoru smiling in front of her. "Kaoru…" Another set of footsteps pounded behind them, and Grace turned her head to see Nanao, fully conscious now, coming after them.

"Mamo!" She shouted, her head still turned to see the positively outraged look in Nanao's eyes. He resembled that of an enraged bull, his eyes gleaming with fury. Mamoru turned his head to see and slowed to a halt, pushing Grace behind him.

"Stay behind me kid, alright?" Mamoru whispered to her, Nanao coming to a stop directly in front of him.

Nanao's nostrils flared. "If you think I'm going to let you out of this compound alive, you're dead wrong."

"I have a score to settle with you asshole. You hurt Grace, and now I'm going to give you the beating you deserve." Mamoru growled, and Grace watched the two begin to square off with one another.


	11. Chapter 11

Still behind Mamoru, Grace watched as he and Nanao stared one another down. Each waiting for the other to make the first move. They didn't have much time she knew, the others in the compound would be there soon. And sirens continued to wail outside, nearing their location. It was only a matter of time, so this fight needed to end as quickly as possible. But Grace knew that Mamoru was plenty capable of handing it to this punk. She merely sat back and watched the show.

Nanao, beginning to look more and more unsure of himself, licked his lips anxiously. Mamoru simply chuckled and cracked his knuckles in his hands. "I'm going to fucking enjoy this."

Nanao charged forward then, arms swinging. He spun around in an attempt to punch Mamoru, but missed and was met by a fist to his face instead. Grace grimaced at the sound of bone breaking, the impact of Mamoru's fist cracking Nanao's nose. A howl emerged as he stepped away, holding his bloody and broken nose in his hands. Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, looking almost rather bored by the whole thing. _Cocky to the end_, Grace thought to herself with a laugh. Watching Mamoru at work like this made her think of watching some kind of Kung Fu movie. She knew he was well skilled in fencing, having practiced with him a few times herself. And she knew that he also dabbled in martial arts, but she'd never seen him in action before. She was almost kind of fascinated, despite the current situation. The two clashed again, Nanao coming at Mamoru again, looking a little bit calmer but much more determined than before.

Fists at the ready, the two clashed again. Much more equal in skill now that Nanao seemed less enraged, the two threw blows, dodged blows. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated through the hall, making Grace fear that someone else would hear them and come to Nanao's aid. She silently willed the sirens to come sooner for their own aid. Throwing a cocky grin over at Grace, Mamoru skillfully spun around. Kicking out and sending Nanao flying to the floor. He landed with a loud thud on the ground near her.

Grace couldn't help but to giggle at the positively ridiculous look on his face. He looked absolutely dumbstruck as he looked from her to Mamoru. Enraged by her laughter, Nanao leapt towards her. But Mamoru swiftly grabbed a hold of Nanao by the collar of his shirt and slammed him down onto the ground before he could even get close to Grace. He then began to pummel the ever-living crap out of his face until Nanao made a terrible gurgling sound before closing his eyes, his body limp. The way his chest continued to heave, Grace knew he was probably unconscious once again.

Mamoru looked over to her, panting at his excursion. "You okay sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Let's get out of here." Grace said, restraining the urge to jump him. Hey, what could she say? Seeing her boyfriend beat up the bad guy had her blood boiling. And by the look in Mamoru's eyes, his thoughts weren't too far away from hers either. He took her hand in his and once again headed towards the front gate.

"The front gates should be just ahead!" She said to him, a little breathlessly from all the running. Mamoru ran forward and slammed the doors open, the two of them running out into the night. But they weren't alone. And for the first time tonight, she was glad to see a bunch of people. Red and blue lights illuminated the dark sky and cop cars littered the compound. So she had been right, those were sirens that she'd heard earlier. But who had called them? Grace saw as cops led guards to their vehicles, handcuffs linking their arms behind their backs.

A man stepped forward from the crowd and smiled. Still holding her hand, Mamoru seemed to relax, smiling back at the man and extending a hand to him. "You're late."

The man chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Just in time, I'd like to say. You're lucky I'm even here. That friend of yours gave me a call and said you might need a hand hauling all these guys in?" Grace shook her head and smiled. So Baba had called him.

Mamoru pulled Grace into his side, holding her close. "Yeah, the help certainly helps."

"You get the documents?"

Mamoru pulled the reports from his jacket and handed them over. "Yep. Everything's right here. This should be enough to prove all of their recent criminal activity, and keep most of them in prison for a very long time."

"And are you finally going to introduce me to the captivating creature at your side?" The man asked, directing his attention at Grace with a smug smile.

Grace extended her hand out and took the man's hand, giving it a healthy shake. "I'm Grace, it's nice to meet you. You must be Kaoru."

Kaoru tipped the hat on his head. "That would be me. It's nice to finally see you in person. You know, Mamo here keeps a picture of you in…"

"Ok!" Mamoru quickly interrupted, slapping Kaoru's back with force and laughing, "Enough of that! You think you can wrap things up here?"

"Yeah, I can handle everything from here. You two go home and get some rest. You've certainly had a busy evening." Kaoru replied, slapping Mamoru's back. With his arm still wrapped carefully around her, Mamoru led Grace through the crowd of officers. A little distance away, Grace could see a familiar looking van, Baba leaned up against the side of it.

He smiled as the two approached and tipped his hat. "Figured you might need a hand."

Mamoru chuckled. "You figured right."

"So is it all over with?"

"Yeah," Grace said, gazing up at Mamoru, "I think it's finally over with."

Baba laughed and patted the side of the van. "So… where to now lovebirds?"

"Home," Mamoru replied, his eyes meeting Grace's, "Let's go home."


	12. Epilogue

The sound of paper crunching as Mamoru turned the page of his newspaper filled the quiet apartment. It was a beautiful crisp August afternoon and the hot sun was shining quietly in through the window. Mamoru sighed contentedly, finally able to relax after all this time. He adjusted the cigarette in between his teeth and took a generous drag, blowing the smoke off to the side. He and Grace had managed to clean the place back up since their return, and had restored it to its former glory. With the help of the guys as well. Mamoru had been surprised when they'd readily volunteered to help him and Grace clean up the mess. And in no time at all, the two of them were able to finally move back in.

A lot had happened since they'd left the compound, and Mamoru was more than grateful for the peace and quiet that enveloped him now. The AID had finally been brought down, and the documents that he'd gotten from the compound were to be a vital piece of evidence against them in their future court trial. Nanao had had a few choice words for him when he'd seen him at the station, but Mamoru took solace knowing that Nanao would be going to jail for a long time. He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore. He hadn't been able to get some private time alone with him in the investigation room as he'd wanted, but at least Nanao would be going where he deserved to be. Prison.

Mamoru had decided to take a few days off after the case had been closed to settle in with Grace back at their apartment, to try to relax after everything. Her shoulder was healing beautifully, and she was back to her normal self. She was somewhere within the depths of the apartment, she'd just gotten back from shopping earlier, and had disappeared somewhere in back. Mamoru turned another page of his newspaper, smirking as he saw the story on the upcoming AID trial.

"Mamo, I have a surprise for you." He heard Grace's voice call from the other room.

"What's that?" He asked, thumbing to the next page.

"Well first I need you to tell me what you think of this, then I'll give you your surprise."

"Think of what?"

She giggled low in her throat, the sound of which seemed to send pleasant goose bumps down his arm. "Turn around silly and see."

He folded the newspaper up and tossed it onto the coffee table, adjusting himself to turn and look at his girlfriend. She was leaned seductively against their bedroom doorframe, wearing a short little red dress and a smile. The thin material squeezed her dexterously, barely coming down long enough to cover the voluptuous curve of her ass. The sight caused Mamoru to drop his cigarette from his mouth, then fumble with his shirt roughly as he felt the tip of the cigarette begin to burn his skin. He mumbled a curse under his breath as he threw the offending cigarette into the ashtray and turned back to look at Grace. She truly looked stunning and Mamoru could feel his mouth dry just looking at her.

She giggled again, giving her chest a generous wiggle. "I take it that you approve?" It took Mamoru a moment to find the ability to form words.

"I'd… I'd say so… You're not… uh… you're not going to wear that outside though… are you?" He swallowed thickly.

A smirk crossed her face. "No, this one will stay here at the apartment, with us. Why though? Don't want me showing off my dress?" The tone of her voice was pure teasing, and Mamoru could feel heat pooling in between his legs.

"The only one who's allowed to see you in that dress, is me." He replied, his voice threatening to give away the desire he was feeling at that moment.

She bit her lower lip. "You're the only one I want to see me in this. Now come sit down at the table, I want to give you your surprise." She lifted a finger and wiggled it at him, beckoning him to the kitchen table. Like someone under a spell, Mamoru lifted himself from the couch and went over to her, stopping briefly in front of her. She giggled and pushed him back gently, sitting him down in the chair. He looked up at her with desire slit eyes, his pants straining against his obvious need for her.

"Now put both of your arms behind you." She ordered gently, continuing to bit her lower lip. Mamoru resisted the urge to come forward and help nibble her lip, but silently obeyed her. He raised a questioning eyebrow up at her and she merely giggled again. She went behind him and sounded to be scrounging about for something. It took her a moment before she returned behind him and when he felt cold metal encapsulating, he went to say something, but was cut off by the sudden tell-tale clicking sound coming from his wrists. He struggled slightly against the restraints and looked back to her. Handcuffs. She'd handcuffed him. With another seductive smile thrown his way, she came around and stood in front of him.

"Grace, what are you doing?" He asked, unable to contain a chuckle. She lifted the bottom of her dress and came forward, sitting in his lap without a word. But not before giving him a glimpse of the bare skin she held underneath. His nostrils flared and he could practically hear his pants zipper crying from the pressure being exerted on it.

"Well, I was just thinking that it's been a few days since we've made love, so I just thought I'd start things up today." She replied, her voice husky against his ear.

He grinned at her. "Take these things off me and I'll make love to you. All day, all night if it comes to it."

She shook her head, bringing her hands up to work at the buttons on his shirt. "Don't think I will. I've always had this fantasy of mine to keep you handcuffed." She leaned forward then and placed fire-laced kisses against his neck. He groaned, pulling against the restraints keeping him from touching her. It was maddening, unable to feel her skin pressing against his, yet it seemed to heighten his own lust for her.

"Grace… please…" He whispered desperately, craving to touch her.

"I. want. You. Now." She whispered raspily, punctuating each word by releasing another button from his shirt. Fingers fluttered across his now bare chest and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her touching him with such unashamed abandon. A growl escaped him when her hands drifted further below, reaching for his pants zipper. Grace had never been one to hold herself back in the bedroom, yet another thing he loved about her. But today she just seemed even more exotic, even more intoxicating to his senses. He had to admit that she surprised him since he usually was the one to initiate things. But he certainly wasn't going to complain. The feel of her hand releasing him from the confines of his pants just about set him free.

He fell out hot and throbbing into her hand, throwing his head back as she delicately rubbed his tip. She coaxed another animalistic growl from his throat, rubbing him painstakingly slowly while coming up to kiss his throat. God he loved this woman, with every fiber of his being. He brought his head back up to look at her, his breathing ragged. A siren's smile entered her face, and Mamoru locked his eyes with hers. She had to be the most beautiful creature he'd ever set eyes on, and he wasn't sure how he'd gotten so lucky to have this woman in his life. His hands continued to struggle behind him, and he felt the un-sturdy material begin to loosen, a new hope surging through him.

She captured his lips with hers, kissing him. Did she have any idea how mad she was driving him? She had to have known. She let out a little sigh of contentment as their lips devoured one another, ravenous. Usually their kisses were gentle, precise, but today they were hungry, passionate. Like they couldn't get enough of one another. And that was just it. Mamoru wasn't sure he'd ever get enough of her. He pulled back and nudged her head back, going forward to bring his sensual assault on her neck, finding that one spot he always knew would make her moan. Which she did. His teeth scraped her skin as he moved his assault lower to the valley between her breasts. With a giggle, she reached up and lowered the top of her dress, letting her full breasts spill out of the top. Mamoru felt himself swell larger below at the sight, and pressed his face to them, inhaling the feminine smell. He delved further into her chest, gently nipping at the full mound.

Grace threw her head back and let a moan escape her lips. Lord he how he wanted to touch her, to hold her. But these blasted handcuffs sustained to hold his arms behind him. He continued to maneuver himself about to set his wrists free. Kissing the delicate creamy skin, he silently praised her. Worshiped her. Only this woman could do his to him. The metallic constraints behind him groaned and he heard it crack quietly, signaling to him that only a few more tugs and he'd be able to gather her in his arms. But before he could tug again, he felt her hand reach below and grab him once again, and she lifted herself. Another seductive smile crossed her lips, rubbing the tip of him against her slick folds. It took everything Mamoru had not to blow his load right then, the feel of her teasing him just too inebriating.

But the sweet torture didn't last long, as Grace's eyes seemed to glaze over, and she sank down onto his pulsing member. He buried his face in her chest as his breathing went ragged, the feel of her squeezing him in an angelic hold of warmth and delight almost unbearable. He needed to move, and he needed to do it now. Grace's hips lifted and she began to grind against him, taking him in and out of her with precise movements. She was a queen dictating her passion, administering her love to him on a cosmic level. As she bore down on him, he lifted own his, meeting her fiercely in the middle. He added a little bump and grind to his thrust, and Grace gasped.

She looked at him, her eyes hooded with desire. "Do that again."

"Anything for you sweetheart." He replied, doing exactly as she asked.

Clenching his jaw, he repeated the motion that had seemed to bring her so much pleasure, with a ruthless self-mastery he wasn't aware he had. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she smiled, a blissful smile of unimaginable pleasure. He captured her lips again, tasting her essence. She tasted like sugar, and he wanted more. Needed more. He yanked at the handcuffs again, desperate now for her as her sweet heat snugged him inside of her. A loud pop sound came from behind him and he grinned widely, pulling his hands away. He brought his hands around quickly and dug his fingers into her hips. Grace let out a helpless cry, swiftly followed by a surprised squeak as Mamoru hoisted her up. Without disengaging himself from her, he threw her down onto the kitchen table and began to pump her with vigor. His own silent punishment for teasing him. But Grace didn't protest but instead encouraged him, arching her back into the table.

He hooked his arm around her leg and brought it forward, deepening his angle of penetration. The delicious new angle earned him an enthusiastic moan, and he held nothing back, pounding into her shamelessly. Grace writhed underneath him, whimpering, only heightening his pleasure. His hardened length grazed her sensitive spot continuously, and she whispered loving encouragements to him. The remainder of her handcuffs jiggled against his wrists as he thrust into her, feeling his impending orgasm. Each thrust basking him in joy, sinking deeper into her loving heat. She was just so tight and delicious that Mamoru fought to hold on, determined to let her fly free first. His fingers came up to where they were joined and he teased her, rolling her tiny nub in between his finger. Grace squeezed her eyes shut and bucked underneath him. She was panting his name at that point, her expression dazed with ecstasy. She was close, he could tell by the way she came up and bit at his shoulder. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine and he increased his pace, skin slapping roughly against skin. He brought his lips down to kiss her, savoring her soft lips.

"Come for me Grace, and take me with you." He whispered to her wickedly. As if on command, he felt her muscles begin to spasm around him, and she screamed. A euphoric cry that resonated around the quiet room, and through to Mamoru's very being. Her nails dug into his shoulders and he felt his own crisis fast approaching. Her muscles clenched him, milking him as he growled low in his throat. Looking down at the sultry look in her eyes, he exploded in a triumphant sea of unending pleasure. Fire sizzled up his spine and throughout every part of him. It was so intense that he felt his whole body shake. The little death. How fitting it was. He pulled himself from her reluctantly and rested on top of her, feeling her stroke his hair gently for a moment. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on Grace's face below him, stars drifting about in his vision. He saw a tear trickle down her cheek and grinned, pressing a kiss against her lips.

He heard her laugh. "What happened to your handcuffs?"

He chuckled. "I broke them."

She cocked her eyebrow up at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Interesting." She ground her hips against his seductively, throwing him another scorching look, completely searing his soul. A new desire flamed deep within him, and although his body was still tired, he managed to find the strength to grab her and throw her over his shoulder. She giggled as he made his way towards their bedroom.

"My handcuffs work better anyway. Your turn kid."


End file.
